'If I had seen an Irish player doing what Ma'a Nonu did, I'd have ripped his head off'

Peter O’Mahony has revealed how a bid to swap jerseys with All Blacks great Richie McCaw after Ireland’s humiliating 60-0 defeat to New Zealand in 2012 ended with an expletive-laden rejection from Ma’a Nonu.

The incident is recounted in O’Mahony’s new autobiography, All In, as he reflects on one of the bleakest days of his international career. Ireland were thrashed 60-0 in Hamilton in the third Test of a winless summer tour, a result that remains one of the heaviest defeats in the history of Irish rugby.

The Munster legend admits the scale of the loss left him questioning whether he would ever play for Ireland again.

“At the end of the game, I genuinely thought I was done with Ireland. I had played No. 8, and Richie McCaw had played 8 for the All Blacks. I figured if this was my last Ireland appearance I might as well go into their dressing room and try and swap jerseys with one of the all-time greats.”

O’Mahony explains that his attempt to approach McCaw was halted by Nonu, who had not played in the match but was stationed outside the All Blacks dressing room.

“Ma’a Nonu, who hadn’t been playing but was in his blazer outside the All Blacks’ dressing room, stopped me going in. ‘He’s doing media, mate,’ he told me and I sat down and waited outside for McCaw to walk past.”

The Irish back-row waited in hope of catching the All Blacks captain, only to realise McCaw had apparently re-entered the changing room through another route.

When O’Mahony tried once more to gain access, Nonu made it clear he was not welcome.

“After a while, I realized he must have gone back into the dressing room through another entrance. I went to go back in, and Nonu stood there like a bouncer with his arms crossed.

“‘Not tonight, mate.’

“‘What do you mean?’ I said.

“‘Fuck off,’ he said.”

The exchange left O’Mahony furious, although he knew better than to escalate matters in the heart of All Blacks territory.

“I was angry, but I wasn’t completely deranged. I was on my own in New Zealand territory, so I went off with my tail between my legs.”

However, the story did not end there. O’Mahony reveals that fellow All Black Kieran Read had witnessed the encounter and later apologised for what had happened.

“Kieran Read had witnessed the exchange, and he came up to me afterwards and said sorry about that. It’s a huge sign of respect for someone to come in looking for your jersey. If I had seen an Irish player doing what Ma’a Nonu did, I would have ripped his fucking head off.”

O’Mahony closes the anecdote by acknowledging the regard he eventually developed for the All Blacks centre.

“I played against Ma’a Nonu a few times after that and to be fair to him, he was a hardy bastard.”

The episode is one of a number of candid stories contained in All In, with O’Mahony lifting the lid on the highs and lows of a Test career that ultimately proved far more enduring than he feared on that miserable night in Hamilton.

You can buy All In, published by Penguin, in all good bookshops and online retailers.